# Focus Dial vs PaperDue

The clearest difference is price: PaperDue at Free against Focus Dial's $3.99. PaperDue also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). Focus Dial's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (6 vs 1). On rating, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

PaperDue is free to download; Focus Dial costs $3.99 up front. PaperDue sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Focus Dial asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Focus Dial against 5.0 for PaperDue. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Focus Dial has 6 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Focus Dial ships an update every 3 weeks, PaperDue weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Focus Dial | PaperDue |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $3.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [5.0 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/focus-dial/id6739151372/reviews) | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paperdue-deadline-tracker/id6761820921/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **6** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free** |
| Size | 13 MB | 3 MB |
| Requires iOS | **18.0** | 18.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Digital Wave Creative](https://appshunter.io/developer/418846454) | [梓豪 朱](https://appshunter.io/developer/1891542786) |

## What reviewers say

### Focus Dial

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/focus-dial/id6739151372)

This app helps you improve focus with a simple, innovative timer. Track progress over time with customizable categories and interactive widgets. Sync data across devices with iCloud support.

**Highlights:** Innovative focus dial for time adjustment, Timer counts up towards goal, Track focus across weeks, months, years, Interactive Home Screen widgets, 10 customizable categories with colors/icons, iCloud backup and sync

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### PaperDue

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paperdue-deadline-tracker/id6761820921)

Never miss a crucial submission deadline for AI research conferences. This app provides live countdowns, smart notifications, and conference rankings to help academics stay organized and focused on their work.

**Highlights:** Live countdown tracker for hundreds of conferences, Smart reminder notifications, CORE & CCF conference rankings, Dynamic Island countdown ticker, Home & Lock Screen widgets, Timeline & calendar view, Multi-timezone support

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PaperDue Pro | $1.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Focus Dial free?

Focus Dial costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is PaperDue free?

PaperDue is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Focus Dial or PaperDue?

Focus Dial and PaperDue are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 6 and 1 ratings respectively.

### Do Focus Dial or PaperDue have ads?

Neither Focus Dial nor PaperDue shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Focus Dial or PaperDue?

Focus Dial ships an update every 3 weeks, and PaperDue weekly. Most recently, Focus Dial was updated on September 25, 2026 and PaperDue on October 5, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*